Monday, May 18, 2015

When you are just swamped

You don't remember when you've last had a night of uninterrupted sleep. You haven't washed your hair in three weeks. Your friends send anxious messages asking if they've offended you somehow, because you haven't returned their calls for ages. There's a dark unrecognized sticky puddle under your fridge that you are going to tackle as soon as you have the opportunity - and you've been saying this for two months at least.

It seems you are on a treadmill, running and running and never getting anywhere.

Congratulations! You are a Mom to little ones.

Lately, this is the picture of my day-to-day life. Things are actually more intense than when Israel was just born, because he's hit this age when he needs less sleep and more action. So it's not like things don't get done... but admittedly, very little gets done, and this little costs a major effort. The two things that get me through right now are the following:

1. Appreciate the little things. You've washed the dishes? Emptied the garbage can? Wiped the bathroom mirror? Great! So what if these aren't major projects or fancy meals you can show off at the end of the day (because, you know, a sink can refill itself in the span of an hour around here). You still deserve to be appreciated for your efforts in keeping a clean, livable home.

2. Take advantage of the little snippets of time. If the baby is settled down on the rug with a couple of toys, I know I probably don't have hours to rearrange my closet. But I do have five minutes to take the washing off the line or water the house plants.

And, finally, this too shall pass. From my experience babies get a lot better at entertaining themselves once they start crawling. And, in the more distant future, he might find the company of other people to be more exciting than mine. So I'd better enjoy this while it lasts. :-)

4 comments:

I remember too well the stage of life when babies take up all the time. It does get easier, eventually things get MUCH easier. These days I'm generally able to keep up, and even entertain, or take care of a deep cleaning or decorating project. It's pretty nice!

THANK YOU! I needed to hear this today. Chana is almost four months old and some days I feel like if I just manage to make dinner, that will be an accomplishment. My four year old, Rivka, reminds me that it will pass and the infant stage is a hard time.

Oh my goodness! I really needed to read this today. I am a first time mom to a premature four month old. I thought I was a failure at being a wife and mother. My house is picked up, but not clean. I can hardly keep the dishes out of the sink or the laundry off the line. I struggle to even make dinner. I can hardly even think straight since my baby eats every hour and half around the clock. Also, on top of being a first time mom I am struggling with recovering from almost dying from having my baby. Only now do I feel like my body isn't shutting down.

I am so happy to know I am not the only one who can't do everything. We live far away from family and I am really struggling with how to balance being a wife and new mom and trying to regain my health. Thank you so very much for posting this. It really gives me hope.

Thank you for visiting

Domestic Felicity is the journey of one woman who loves her family and home and seeks to live a simple, peaceful, and purposeful life. It is also a record of my daily experiences and challenges and everything I'm learning as I walk along this path. If you wish to ask or comment about something but want to do it in private, you are welcome to email me.

A little bit about me

I'm a Jewish woman, a wife, a mother, a homemaker. I love everything that has to do with home and family, and enjoy the solitude of my quiet corner, which is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Israel. Our lives are simple, but very full, busy and satisfying. I'm passionate about writing, hand crafts, healthy food, home education and the human connection to land and nature.